sugar levels

sue5749

My husband is 10 months now from dx of suragolttis cancer, he has had all rad treatments some erbutux and now has 4 more treatments of cysblatan. He was in the hospitol last week-end from high blood sugar levels of 499. So now that he is out of hospital we have to do the insulin shots. Trying to get the right about of insulin is really very frustrating, one time it is normal the next it is 435 and now tonight it was 119. I have never done the shots or did any of the insulin thing plus the cancer and all that goes along with it, I am just so overwhelmed with it all! i just broke down today. My husband took me by the hand and set me down, and said " I need you now more then ever" I felt so bad! He has been going through so much! But all the medicine and trying to keep track of all them now the insulin shots, omg. I'm so trying to do my best! But sometimes I don't know if my best is going to do it! I don't have no one else to turn to, I've been doing all this. And the high blood pressure medicine and nausea medicine and transplant medicine now trying to get in insulin levels leveled out, just so overwhelming I did go out back and just screamed this morning. If only he was getting better, stronger. I feel so sad, mad, can't think half the time. And sleep neither one of us slept last nite. Now, tonight I just hope his sugar levels doesn't drop to low! Something else I have to worry about tonight. He has a peg tube and taking Gevity 1.5 And trying to get plenty of water through the tube because when he was in the hospital they said that he was really dehydrated. Called his cemo doctor and he postponed his cemo treatment for this week because of all the complications over the week-end. Just had to vent to someone. Worried sick!

mwellsg

Care givers
Need care too. When I first started down this path someone told me to make sure I occasionally cared for the one caring for me. You are not a machine. You heave needs too. Don't be so hard on yourself. You didn't do this. You're stuck with it too. Hang in there and take a break when you need it.

sweetblood22

Take a deep breath hon.
Take a deep breath hon. You do realize a lot of this stuff you cannot control, right? I know that when diabetics are stressed or ill, it can be very difficult to regulate their sugar. I thought that 119 was good, btw?

Its hard to keep track of all the meds for sure. I had a pad I had to write everything down, feedings, water, meds, kept track of calories, and I still screwed up, so don't feel badly.

As far as water and hydration goes, I was putting tons of water through my peg, and trying to get extra potassium, and I still was dehydrated, struggled with low potassium and needed IV fluids.

You need to cut yourself some slack. You are there for him and you are doing all you can. That is all you can do.

You do need to take care of yourself too. Come here any time to vent.

Praying for both of you.

sweetblood22

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DrMary

sweetblood22 said:

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I'm not organized
and trying to keep all the pills and such straight was very tough for me. Find something that works with your strengths - the caregiver package I got from ACS mentioned various record sheets (might be on their site somewhere) but I decided to create my own (PM me with an email and I'll send you my spreadsheet - you'd want to change it to fit your own drugs and eating routine, but it's an example). I'd update each night, as we were changing his drugs every few days for a while, and I not only put the time for each drug, but had space for comments (any reactions noticed, how he felt, if we took it late by mistake, etc.). That was major - it helped us identify the two antinausea drugs that worked when nothing else would (we'd tried them each separately with a bit of success, according to the record, so I proposed combining them). I'd print them out in the morning and put them in the binder that we took to radiation every day.

We had a dry-erase board, where I just wrote the drug/treatment times - no details, as those were in the sheet. The board just reminded both of us to check the sheet and do something (it also allowed our kids to help keep track).

I also would pre-load the pills in a pill-keeper - I used a 7-day one and put tape on the lids of each day to indicate a time of day (if we'd had more than 7 pill-times a day - it happened sometimes - I added a 2-compartment keeper). I'd load when I was sharpest - generally when we got home from radiation; Doug could then take his pills if I was asleep and I stopped having nightmares about mixing them up.

The binder that we kept the records in also had some pocket pages, where we put any prescriptions or orders we received. All of this organization meant that we kept the f-ups down to about 1 a week, and it was usually not that bad.

It's all pretty overwhelming - I was more a cry-in-the-bathroom type rather than scream-in-the-yard, but I can still assure you that I got through this and you will too. Consider checking out the Caregivers board - lots of sane, wise people there who helped me a lot.

Hondo

Hi Sue

Don’t give up, as a caregiver you are needed more then ever and especially right now. What you are going through and feeling is normal as cancer leaves us all in a predicament that seams so overwhelming we feel like running away. I suggest checking in on cancer support groups in your area; get to know people who are going through the same thing as you. The support group will give you the help you need to maintain your sanity as you deal with this day by day.

My caregiver and I have been there three times and with out her I would have giving up and died years ago. You husband is the same way, right now he needs you more then you know. Also it is OK to vent, so vent all you need we are all here for you. I you like I will add you to my pray list, as there is power and healing in prayer.

Wishing you the both the best.

Hondo

ratface

Hondo said:

Hi Sue

Don’t give up, as a caregiver you are needed more then ever and especially right now. What you are going through and feeling is normal as cancer leaves us all in a predicament that seams so overwhelming we feel like running away. I suggest checking in on cancer support groups in your area; get to know people who are going through the same thing as you. The support group will give you the help you need to maintain your sanity as you deal with this day by day.

My caregiver and I have been there three times and with out her I would have giving up and died years ago. You husband is the same way, right now he needs you more then you know. Also it is OK to vent, so vent all you need we are all here for you. I you like I will add you to my pray list, as there is power and healing in prayer.

Wishing you the both the best.

Hondo

"You could be my wingman"
Or as in the movie, "I could be yours". You're doing everything right. You can't get any better as you are already in the caregiver zone. It will get better!

sue5749

ratface said:

"You could be my wingman"
Or as in the movie, "I could be yours". You're doing everything right. You can't get any better as you are already in the caregiver zone. It will get better!

thanks
Everyone thanks so much for ALL of your responds! I know that there are people here that would listen to me. It just seems that he is not getting any better. He wanted me to call the cemo doctor today and tell him that he is getting weaker. He saids that he needs help just to get off the couch. He has done every thing all the doctors said to do. I did call the doctor but he never got back with me today. It is just so very sad! He saids he does not want me to be gone very long when I do go out, like to pick up his medicine. All I can say is, "it all so very overwhelming" I know he is feeling so very bad, but it just seems I have to do just about everything! Give him his insulin shots, I got up at 12:30 last night because he was breathing so very fast. I took is blood sugar and it was 52 so I gave him something to bring it up, waited 30 minutes checked it again and it was 98. Whow I am just not used to this insulin shots. It really is very scary!

buzz99

Hi Sue
I have been there and know how stressful it can be to care for a loved one. Even though I am a retired RN, I still had difficulty dealing with everything. Give your self credit. From what you have told me you are doing a great job. Please feel free to vent anytime. We totally get it. Karen

sweetblood22

buzz99 said:

Hi Sue
I have been there and know how stressful it can be to care for a loved one. Even though I am a retired RN, I still had difficulty dealing with everything. Give your self credit. From what you have told me you are doing a great job. Please feel free to vent anytime. We totally get it. Karen

I remember that one time, I
I remember that one time, I was up at my parents and I wanted to get up out of his chair, and I couldn't. He had to help me. There was a point I could barely stand on my own, and I could hardly make it to the bathroom. It's so scary when you are like that. There was a point I was afraid I would just go to sleep one night and not wake up, and who would know? I had no one to check on me. I really didn't want to be alone either, I can really identify with that. It's overwhelming for both of you.

sue5749

sweetblood22 said:

I remember that one time, I
I remember that one time, I was up at my parents and I wanted to get up out of his chair, and I couldn't. He had to help me. There was a point I could barely stand on my own, and I could hardly make it to the bathroom. It's so scary when you are like that. There was a point I was afraid I would just go to sleep one night and not wake up, and who would know? I had no one to check on me. I really didn't want to be alone either, I can really identify with that. It's overwhelming for both of you.

overwhelming
Well, my husband asked me to call his cemo doctor today because he wanted to know if it was the after effects of the cemo why he is so weak? Also he is having so much mucus coming out of his track. Also feeling really nauseous. Finally the doctor did call back and said go to er. But my husband just got out of the er last week-end and he said that he didn't want to go back. So, I don't know what to do? He is resting on the couch now. I just got back from Wall Marts to get him some anti-neasea medicine. When does it ever get better? He said today he just might give up on cemo?

Hondo

sue5749 said:

overwhelming
Well, my husband asked me to call his cemo doctor today because he wanted to know if it was the after effects of the cemo why he is so weak? Also he is having so much mucus coming out of his track. Also feeling really nauseous. Finally the doctor did call back and said go to er. But my husband just got out of the er last week-end and he said that he didn't want to go back. So, I don't know what to do? He is resting on the couch now. I just got back from Wall Marts to get him some anti-neasea medicine. When does it ever get better? He said today he just might give up on cemo?

Hi Sue
Praying for you to get the strength needed to keep going.

God bless
Hondo

sue5749

Hondo said:

Hi Sue
Praying for you to get the strength needed to keep going.

God bless
Hondo

thanks so much
Thanks for praying for my husband and I! We sure need the prayers

sweetblood22

sue5749 said:

thanks so much
Thanks for praying for my husband and I! We sure need the prayers

Don't you have prescription
Don't you have prescription anti-nausea stuff? I didn't have chemo, only radiation, and that was still really grueling.

I wish I could help you out. I know I was a hurting pup for a long time. Nothing would control my nausea. I went from 130 lbs to 87 probably in a month. I was extremely weak. That was after my radiation ended, and when I peaked. There was also many days I wanted to quit during radiation, I wanted to stop, but I didn't want to take the chance that there would be stray cancer cells that they didn't get with my neck dissection. My RO said it was not good to interrupt treatment or to stop.

Hang in there you guys. Extra prayers tonight for you both.

KTeacher

Blood Sugar
I can't add much. Dr. Mary, Sweet, Hondo et.al. have good ideas. I have Type II Diabetes and last year when I was going through radiation my numbers were all over the map (not quite as high as your hubbies). I usually have it under good control, but not when this stress is on the body. I recently had a neck dissection and while in the hospital I was given insulin. Maybe you might check the American Diabetes Associaton website to see if there is any information. I saw something on the MD Anderson Cancer site. I need to research more as I start radiation again. Do you have a doctor that is taking care of the diabetes? (I live in a small town and have not found a doctor that I like yet for the diabetes).

sue5749

sweetblood22 said:

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thanks for all the responds

Well, got my husband to go to hospital yesterday. They are keeping him for pneumonia and his sodium levels are low. Just one more thing that is going wrong for us. He was running a low grade fever yesterday of 100.2 They said that they will keep him in ICU for a couple of days.